Ovarian Cancer

OncLive spoke with Sanaz Memarzadeh, MD, on why ovarian and endometrial cancers are so challenging to treat, and what future research is needed to better understand these diseases.

The risk of developing the two most common types of ovarian cancer significantly increases when taking hormone replacement therapy to alleviate symptoms of menopause, according to a meta-analysis of epidemiological studies.

Jason D. Wright, MD, Division Chief, Gynecologic Oncology, Associate Clinical Professor of Gynecologic Oncology, Sol Goldman Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University, discusses the challenges in measuring progression and recurrence in patients with ovarian cancer.

To gain insight into the integration of olaparib into clinical practice, OncLive interviewed Ursula A. Matulonis, MD, medical director of gynecologic oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

The FDA has granted an orphan drug designation to Reolysin for the treatment of patients with ovarian cancer.

For insight on the evolving role of PARP inhibitors in the treatment of ovarian cancer, OncLive interviewed Donna McNamara, MD, co-chief of Gynecological Oncology at the John Theurer Cancer Center (JTCC).

Donna McNamara, MD, Co-Chief of the Gynecologic Oncology Division and Medical Oncologist for the Breast Oncology Division at the John Theurer Cancer Center, talks about the benefits of PARP inhibitors for women with BRCA1 or BRCA2-mutated, platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer.

The New York State Stem Cell Science Program recently awarded a 4-year $11.9 million grant to Roswell Park Cancer Institute to fund research and development of a stem-cell based treatment for ovarian cancer.

Approximately 22,000 women will be diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) in the United States in 2014, making it the nation's second most common gynecologic malignancy.1 The cancer, which often presents at an advanced stage, causes more deaths than any other type of gynecologic malignancy.

For more than two decades, Kenneth Offit, MD, MPH, has been researching the molecular genetic factors that increase cancer risk, notably concerning germline BRCA mutations in breast and ovarian cancer, with a focus on potential preventive surgical remedies and screening programs for women at hereditary risk.

Virginia Kaklamani, MD, a professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, discusses a recent clinical trial that looks at the combination of two chemotherapy drugs, carboplatin and eribulin, along with the PARP inhibitor E7449 for the treatment of breast and ovarian cancer.

The FDA has approved the PARP inhibitor olaparib (Lynparza) for the treatment of women with BRCA-positive advanced ovarian cancer.

As one of the most significant predictors of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, the BRCA1/2 genes have become the poster child for genetic testing, thrust into the limelight by a high-profile court battle and a celebrity's disclosure.

PARP inhibitors represent an exciting new class of anticancer agents and are currently being evaluating in phase III for a number of different indications.